We Go Gardening Newsletter of the West Chicago Garden Club

Transcription

1 Newsletter of the West Chicago Garden Club Meeting Date: January 24 Meeting Location: St Andrews Lutheran Church NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road. Meeting Time: 6:45PM Refreshments 7:00PM Business Meeting 7:15PM Program Perennials for the Chicago Garden The speaker for our January program will be Carolyn Ulrich, the Editor of Chicagoland Gardening magazine. Her presentation will be on Perennials for the Chicago Garden. She describes the program as: We don t need to feel sorry for ourselves. We can t grow everything they grow in England, but they can t grow everything we can, either. From natives to exotics, we have abundant choices. What s really important is how we use them. Slides were taken in my Chicago garden and throughout the region. Carolyn is a self-taught gardener who sat down one day and started writing garden columns, an event she considers akin to a visitation from the Muses in the Classical sense. After a year writing for the neighborhood newspaper she joined the Chicago Sun-Times for seven years, writing a weekly column called The Cultivated Gardener. She then joined Chicagoland Gardening magazine and is currently its editor. She has written freelance for Garden Design, Horticulture, House Beautiful, Chicago Tribune and has won Quill & Trowel awards from the Garden Writers Association. Education: B.A. in English, University of Kansas; M.A.T. in English, Northwestern University; B.S. in Photography, Columbia College; Garden Writers Association, Perennial Plant Association FEBRUARY 28TH MEETING February Speaker: Horticulturist & Garden Writer, Nina Koziol Simple Pleasures--Inspiration for Gardeners New Location It s official, St. Andrew Lutheran Church is our new meeting home. It s located on the northeast corner of Prince Crossing and Geneva Roads. Our first meeting on the year will be Thursday, January 24th at 7 pm.

2 Gardening Notes from Barb Bizzarri Don t use salt on your driveway, steps and walkways. Some salt may seep into your soil. Its presence inhibits roots from absorbing water. Trees and shrubs can develop brown (aka dead)growth, flower beds may be contaminated and salt often harms a lawn. Instead use sand. Brown or rotted spots on your African violet leaves? Seems like you overwatered. Best to water violets from the bottom. Set pot in a saucer of water and let the plant take up what is needed. By now, most Christmas amaryllis plants are finished blooming. Make sure to pinch off the fading flowers before the plants spends too much energy trying to go to seed. Move the plant to sunny widow,, water and lightly feed. The healthier leaves it has, the more flower stalks it will be able to grow next winter. America In Bloom Update: As you know, the City of West Chicago participated in the America In Bloom this past Summer. As a result of our participation, our city, has been awarded a grant from CN EcoConnexions From the Ground Up AND America in Bloom in the amount of $25,000 for a tree planting project. Approximately 160 trees will be planted in our city. This grant also reimburses the City for its 2019 AIB registration fee. This is wonderful news and is proof that working together great things can happen. I m privileged to be a Board member of the West Chicago AIB Committee. Happy New Year! MEET YOUR BOARD/COMMITTEE MEMBER: Pamela Darrah Secretary MEET YOUR BOARD/COMMITTEE MEMBER: Christine (Chris) Gicela Director at Large Resident of West Chicago since: 2002 West Chicago Garden Club Member since:2004 Favorite Flower/Plant: Peony Last or Present Career: HR Director of Benefits Biggest Gardening Mistake: Planting plants where they don t want to be! Hobbies: Gardening, sewing and bike riding Favorite Local Restaurant: El Coco Loco My Top Favorite Vacation Destinations: St. John s in the Caribbean and Alaska Resident of West Chicago since: 1970 West Chicago Garden Cub Member since:1998 Has held the following WCGC Positions: Newsletter Editor , , Present. Favorite Flower/Plant: Daffodils Last or Present Career: Run family business with my parents Biggest Gardening Mistake: LOL, I don t actually garden I leave that to my husband, Dan Beebe and just enjoy what he creates! Hobbies: Reading, photography, travel Favorite Local Restaurant: La Zaza Trattoria, St. Charles. My Top Favorite Vacation Destinations: Disney World, Disneyland, Hawaii, Italy, Alaska Page 2

3 October Meeting Recap Our November meeting was a great celebration. After a short business meeting, Barb Bizzarri presented the 2019 Slate of Officers and asked members if there were any motions other than what was presented. No other nominations were given and a vote was taken for our new Board of Directors for 2019: Barb Bizzarri, President Dan Beebe, Vice President Pamela Darrah, Secretary Barb Melville, Programs Director Chris Gicela, Director at Large No nays were voiced and the new slate of officers was elected. A delicious buffet was enjoyed by all. The members shared culinary creations recipes which will be compiled into a WCGC cookbook. If you did not provide a recipe, please send to me: barb.bizzarri@gmail.com For this who were unable to attend, send me a favorite recipe of yours that you re known for and I will include yours too. Following dinner,the legendary annual Garden Bucks Auction took place and everyone went home with a gift. Special thanks to VP Keith Letsche, members Janet Frogner and Pauline Briggs, and Programs Director, Barb Melville for assisting with the setup and auction itself. Barb Bizzarri TIME TO RENEW Renew your membership for 2019! Page 3

4 News from Kruse Billie Childress The gardeners gathered at Kerry s house for a nice lunch in December. We had been missing each other since we closed down the garden in October. Besides enjoying catching up with each other we had a meeting of the minds and put together a to do list for the Kruse Garden. And here it is! Cleanup fallen limbs in back garden. Replace log-and-plank benches on N.W. side of property. Plant three shrubs to place on the east side. Saturday Club clean-up work group in the spring. Add rock border around front east bed. Two replacement trellises for those in back. Refurbish and place Barb Bizzarri's bench. Promote Butterfly Project. (See page 6) Recruit additional Kruse House Crew members. Continue News from Kruse. We need to replace 2 trellises that bit the dust last year. They each need to be substantial and good size since they both support vigorous clematis. Does anyone have one they could donate? Let Billie know if you do. Also, if you have and rocks or bricks we really need them if you re willing to donate. We have numerous places to use them! Again, let Billie know. She d probably come and pick them up. TIME TO RENEW Renew your membership for 2019! Out and About Barb Bizzarri MARCH 28TH MEETING March Speaker: Tricia Bethke Jumping Worms & Other Invasives Cornerstone Lakes Park Can you believe it s January??!! Page 4

5 The Year Ahead Monarchs! We look forward to an exciting year ahead for the West Chicago Garden Club. Barb Bizzarri Your Garden Club has provided funding for a screening documentary screening of a film titled The Guardians to West Chicago s Gallery 200 (date and time to be announced). The film is a visually dazzling meditation on the balance between humans and nature. The Guardians poetically interweaves the lives of the threatened Monarch butterfly with an indigenous community fighting to restore the forest they nearly destroyed Shot over three years, this cinematic journey through the butterfly dense mountaintops of Michoacan, Mexico tells the intimate story of a unique community at the front lines of conservation. The City of West Chicago has taken steps to protect monarchs in our small part of the world and we want to do more. The Official Monarch Waystation at City Hall is doing well and adding great beauty to the landscape while providing nourishment and habitat for developing larvae. Through outreach and education, more waystations are popping up around our community. Theses efforts dovetail beautifully with a project of the West Chicago Cultural Arts Commission, our own West Chicago Garden Club and the West Chicago America in Bloom Committee to beautify community gardens. Our own Billie Childress will be representing our West Chicago Garden Club and assisting this group in spearheading a design and installation of art butterflies in 20 different public landscape beds around town. The wooden templates, approximately 3 feet by 4 feet, will be designed by local artists. A resident component will also be available on a smaller scale at a reasonable cost to you as a West Chicago Garden Club member. These butterfly templates will be smaller, 2 feet by 3 feet. Watch for more news and updates regarding this outstanding project (See Page 6). Get ready to take flight this Summer with our Monarchs projects! Local Events for Gardeners Cantigny Park is closed in January February 1: Cantigny Park Reopens for 2019: The Park and museums are open Fridays through Sundays during February from 9am-5pm. January 26: Countryside Garden Center: Backyard Birding & Birds of Prey programs 10:20am and 12:00pm Come and enjoy Jeff Miller of DeLong Seed Company, lighthearted presentation on what seed and feeders work best to attract and keep your feathered friends year round! Mark Spreyer of Stillman Nature Center will be here with his birds of prey for a talk and gawk! See these magnificent birds up close and personal! Pre-registration required for seating and to be entered into our prize drawings! Please call or marcy@countrysideflowershop.com to register. February 9th: The Growing Place, Aurora: Planting a Pollinator Paradise 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Daydreams of living in paradise come true when you plant for pollinators. Join our Perennial Manager Kyle to learn how to bring your landscape to life. 11am - Attracting Birds, Bees, & Butterflies Learn the importance of pollinators and learn about a variety of native plants for habitat, food, and protection in any size garden. 1pm - Designing Your Pollinator Garden We will show you how to create the space, select the appropriate varieties and prepare the site to provide a habitat for pollinators and beauty for you to enjoy. Cost: $15. Call to register. Page 5

6 Flight of the Butterfly Project Billie Childress How many of you remember the sent December 13 on this subject? Well, December has many distractions so if this is new to you that s OK, but now it s time to pay attention! Here is a portion of the reprinted. Our club has the good fortune of collaborating with West Chicago s Art Commission on a Butterfly project. The goal is to beautify public areas throughout West Chicago and the Kruse Garden with displays of fabulous butterfly art. There will be a standard wood template available, butterfly shape, about 3x4 feet, that individuals or small groups will take responsibility for decorating. The Arts Commission has decided to seek artists for the production of 29 butterflies to be placed in strategic locations throughout town, and the GC has purchased 7 butterfly templates to decorate and display in the Kruse Garden. GC Members can use work space at Gallery 200 to be available starting in February to create their masterpieces. We envision small groups (or individual) members claiming a butterfly and launching a one of a kind work of art. The GC will purchase the template, provide a stipend for art supplies, and arrange work space at Gallery 200. The link below is an inspiring view of multiple versions of a frog template created for garden art at the Rotary Botanical Garden in Janesville, WI last year. You may be inspired by one of the enchanting frogs or be inspired to move in a different direction altogether. Janesville Rotary Garden Frog Art Video (Link) So now is the time to declare your interest in creating one of our 7 butterflies. Do you want to work alone or in a group? Let Billie know by Tuesday January 22. Cell: (call or text) or billiedc@sbcglobal.net. I can do some group formations if you d like to work with someone and don t know of others interest. I think this is going to be tons of fun and I know we will all be amazed and thrilled with the results! The butterflies will be placed in Kruse garden on display Mother s Day to Labor Day. Save the Date! Blooming Fest (and our Plant Sale) will be on Saturday, May 18, 2019 Page 6

7 Club Information Website: West Chicago Garden Club P. O. Box 313, West Chicago, IL Membership Information Dues for 2018: Individual: $15 Family: $25 Board Meetings 2nd Thursday each month at 7 p.m. Regular Meeting Location St Andrews Lutheran Church 155 N Prince Crossing Rd, West Chicago 2017 WCGC BOARD: President: Barb Bizzarri Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Program Director: Plant Sale Chair: Newsletter: Director at Large Dan Beebe Kerry Perry Pamela Darrah Barb Melville Dan Beebe Pamela Darrah Chris Gisella To Contact any Board Member, please send to WestChicagoGardenClub@gmail.com Page 7